As opposed to the Bulova Snorkel that has a depth rating of 666 feet but was geared to the weekend warrior and country club pool diver as opposed to the pro-diver.
Did somebody say Snorkel?

 

Seriously though, the Jacques Cousteau televisions series “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau” ran from 1968-1976 and was a phenomenon. It set the imaginations of young and old alike on fire with the idea of exploring the sea- and since most wouldn’t venture past their feet touching the bottom of the sand in the ocean- they only needed to look like a sea explorer on the beach or poolside. The skin divers speak to that phenomenon.

 

I think this qualifies as a skin diver...

 

Don’t get much better than that one- dibs!

 

Thank you, at least that makes sense.

 

You're missing your wetsuit extension piece.

 

Comes from the early pearl diving times as a skin diver was one who didn’t wear a dive suit, ie bell helmet and suit.
The award wages differed between the two.

 

Here are a couple I saw on the 'Bay a year or two back, but wasn't successful on the bid. They went for $200-300 if I recalll. I personally only look for ones with full SS cases when I search.






And this Ellis one which is identical to a rare Bulova too - they had fully plastic/bakelite bezels that were easy to break though:

 

And here is the one I own. Getting photos of it proved somewhat difficult as it is quite reflective. It's a Jubilee skin diver from 1972, which was made in France and has a Lorsa P75 movement. The movement needs service (or replacement) as it's not currently working. But it is an all stainless case, and is quite large for a vintage diver at 38mm not including the crown. The crystal is acrylic, and the bezel seems to be bakelite, but has a very shiny and faded reflective surface. Jubilee were a sub-brand of Longines-Wittnauer.

What is funny about this watch is that the case is in absolutely stellar condition, with very little wear, but the bezel is well worn looking and missing the pip. The dial has a few spots where the very shiny black lacquer like paint has flaked, but over all it is still attractive.

 

Just did a quick eBay check and there are several cheap “running” watches with L75’s out there that would be great donors as they are truly fugly.
It’s one of the things I love about these cheap divers- parts are abundant and whole donors can be had for the price of lunch.

 

That's a good idea - I'm personally not equipped to do a movement swap unfortunately, and the cost to me would outweigh what it is worth (although asking prices on these seem to be all over the map). I should throw it up in the for sale section and see if someone wants to trade me something for it.

 

Paging @WYO_Watch

 

FYI: "Firstly, I would like to say there are a number of misconceptions about the meaning of the term "skin diving". (...) The term was originally used to distinguish a conventional helmet (or "hard hat") diver, dressed in copper helmet and full canvas suit, from a snorkel diver who used only a mask and flippers to go underwater.

Today the term "skin diver" has evolved into a broader definition and describes anyone who swims underwater for any purpose with or without breathing equipment".

I have many books from the 1950s to the 1970s with the words "skin diving" in the title. Many of them contrast "skin diving" with "scuba diving", using the term to describe breath-hold diving only. However, just as many use the term "skin diving" to describe swimming underwater both with and without breathing gear."

Myself, I've always thought about it as being related to depth. Snorkelling or SCUBA without a wet-suit is really only comfortable in very warm shallow water and close to the equator/tropical climate. So, a watch worn by a "skin-diver" doesn't need a pressure seal beyond 2-5 ATM (66-165 ft.) I should add that no one is likely to dive below 2 ATM without a wetsuit for any length of time, as the water gets quite cold even if it's clear and warm above.

In terms of watches, here and elsewhere, we seem to use the term very loosely. People talk about "skin divers" in reference to lighter/smaller watches regardless of their ATM tolerance, and refer to heavier, larger pieces as "dive watches." But the vast majority of the former are rated to 10ATM or more, which means that, in theory, on purchase, they could be taken on dives well exceeding the current PADI certitication for an Open Water Diver (130 feet, or about 4 ATM).

So, by way of example, the Rotary Aquaplunge on the right is rated to 3 ATM (99 feet), which would make it, IMHO, a "skin diver." The Nivada CASD, on the other hand, is rated to 10ATM (333 feet), making it a proper "dive watch." Anything with a 666 rating (e.g. a Bulova) is definitely a the latter category.

Lots more interesting stuff on dive watches here: https://www.facebook.com/VintageDivingWatches/

 

All I can say is, thank the watch gods that I can't really do with an external-bezel watch under 38 or 39mm, otherwise I'd own every single one of these I came across! As it stands though, I've been tempted into two purchases which will be arriving this week....

@Syrte as far as I can tell, besides the term being used for a type of diving as outlined in previous posts - a "skin diver" watch is a diver with less features than an ISO dive watch - namely, a bidirectional friction bezel and a pull-out crown, and a lower WR rating (usually 100m or less).

 

Mine is 38mm....

 

Some of them were 37- 38’s, like my Helbros. There are certain cases that were used widely that have very similar case shape and bezel (like @rcs914 ’s Jubilee) which is usually the tell. They are out there, you just have to hunt.

 

I know, and I do The 36s tend to have the more classic cases and dial layouts though; the larger ones while cool tend to be a bit more out-there in terms of design. But

Besides, I have two skin divers due in this week already!

 

Well this is interesting! I managed to get the back off of it and evidently the movement was somehow bound up slightly as the watch just started to run without issue. I set it to the correct time. Let's see how long it manages to keep going.



I guess it's my "poor man's" 62MAS

https://www.thewatchsite.com/threads/seiko-6217-62mas-vs-the-devils-diver.22742/

 

That’s a good sign! You should still take it for a service. Even thought it will cost more than the value of the watch, your smiles per mile will be worth it.

 

This is officially 40.5 (sorry )